Napoli vs Cagliari Prediction: Gli Azzurri are just too strong at home

It's been five years since Napoli last won the Coppa Italia and their cup journey this season begins on Wednesday (17:00 GMT, Premier Sports Player) when they take on Cagliari in the round of 16 at Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.

The hosts are still yet to be defeated at home across all competitions. My Napoli vs Cagliari predictions can be found below, using Betfred's match odds and the latest team news.

Team News

Napoli boss Antonio Conte is not happy about how many injuries his side have been picking up this season and so we could see him rotate heavily in midweek with two big clashes against Juventus and Benfica coming up in the next week.

Kevin De Bruyne and Frank Anguissa remain out of action with hamstring issues, while Billy Gilmour is struggling with a groin issue. Defender Miguel Gutierrez is continuing his recovery from an ankle problem.

First-choice goalkeeper Alex Meret is still sidelined with a metatarsal fracture, while forward Romelu Lukaku is still overcoming a thigh injury he suffered in August.

Football Odds

Cagliari are likely to rotate too because their top priority is maintaining their Serie A status, so key players may be handed a rest on Wednesday. Michael Folorunsho is eligible to face his parent club so that could be an interesting selection for the visitors.

Andre Belotti (ACL) and Ze Pedro (knee) are long-term absentees for Fabio Pisacane's side, while Yerry Mina and Luca Mazzitelli are also not fit to feature.

Today's Football Fixtures

Napoli vs Cagliari Odds

Napoli have won seven of their nine home games in all competitions this season and they are 2/5 to come out on top inside 90 minutes here. One of those victories came against Cagliari in Serie A. The hosts won 1-0 and they are 19/20 (implied probability of 51.3%) to win to nil on this occasion.

Cagliari have drawn two of their previous three fixtures and the stalemate is marketed at 16/5. They are 7/1 to inflict a first home defeat of the campaign upon Napoli.

To Win To Nil - Napoli @ 19/20

Both teams are set to make a few alterations to their teams for this cup tie but the advantage for Napoli boss Conte is that he has quality in depth, which his opposite number doesn't have the luxury of.

Napoli are a strong unit at home, having won seven of the nine matches played here across all competitions. Conte might be bemoaning the injury troubles the reigning Serie A champions are having but they are constantly finding ways to adapt and dig deep to deliver at home.

No matter who is selected for this contest, they will be determined to produce for Napoli, especially as fringe players will be hoping to impress the boss in the search of more minutes in the bigger fixtures and competitions.

As I mentioned before, Cagliari are likely going to rotate to preserve their key personnel for the relegation scrap they are likely going to be involved in, and it's likely that this will be a free hit for Napoli.

Seeing as the hosts have already beaten this side and kept a clean sheet on home turf in this campaign, I fancy them to win to nil again.

Total Goals - Under 2.5 @ 8/11

While Napoli are still expected to have quality in reserve, it is probably going to be one or two levels down from the team when it is at full strength. I think this can lead to a low-scoring contest in Naples, so under 2.5 goals appeals.

This has been a successful bet in six of Napoli's past seven appearances in all competitions heading into Wednesday's clash, including their latest encounter at Roma last weekend which they won 1-0.

For Cagliari, there have been fewer than three goals scored in two of their last three away trips, which came against Lazio and Como.

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